15 DUKE
There's a lotriding on Josh McRoberts's surgically repaired back. The 6'10" forward, whounderwent a lumbar discectomy on Aug. 3, is the first sophomore co-captain inDuke history--an honor he shares with point guard Greg Paulus, who injured hisleft foot on the second day of practice and missed most of the preseason. WhilePaulus heals, McRoberts (left) will not only have to lead a team that has noseniors and only one junior but also to fill the shoes of two-time nationalplayer of the year J.J. Redick and All-America forward Shelden Williams, bothfirst-round NBA draft picks last June.
An athletic240-pounder with a 19-foot range on his jumper as well as back-to-the-basketability, McRoberts could have been a lottery pick himself had he left schoolearly. Instead he returned to campus last July to work on his mobility,ball-handling and leadership skills under the guidance of the Blue Devils'coaching staff. "Josh needed to develop a new mind-set during theoff-season," says assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski. "Last year hetook a backseat to J.J. and Shelden. This year he's the guy for us."
The Blue Devilswill deploy a point guard by committee until Paulus returns, with McRobertsassuming some playmaking duties as well as the mantle of motivator. "Ilearned a lot last season watching J.J. lead by example and from Shelden'sprofessionalism," says McRoberts. "But Shelden wasn't the most vocalguy. I'm comfortable telling my teammates what I think needs to getdone."
STARTINGLINEUP
COACH: Mike Krzyzewski (27th year)
6'1"Soph.6.7 ppg5.2 spg--KEY RESERVE-- SF Gerald HENDERSON* 6'4" Fr. 21.5 ppg 8.6 rpg
RETURNINGSTARTER *HIGH SCHOOL STATS
SCHEDULE
Nov. 12Columbia*
Nov. 16 UNCGreensboro
Nov. 25Davidson
Nov. 28Indiana
Dec. 2Georgetown
Dec. 6 HolyCross
Dec. 9 GeorgeMason
Dec. 19 KentState
Dec. 21Gonzaga†
Dec. 31 San JoseState
Jan. 2Temple
Jan. 6 VirginiaTech
Jan. 10 atGeorgia Tech
Jan. 14 atMiami
Jan. 18 WakeForest
Jan. 20 at N.C.State
Jan. 25Clemson
Jan. 28 BostonCollege
Feb. 1 atVirginia
Feb. 4 FloridaState
Feb. 7 NorthCarolina
Feb. 11 atMaryland
Feb. 14 atBoston College
Feb. 18 GeorgiaTech
Feb. 22 atClemson
Feb. 25 at St.John's
Feb. 28Maryland
March 4 at NorthCarolina
*CollegeBasketball Experience Classic, Durham, N.C. †Aeropostale Classic, New YorkCity
ILLUSTRATION
PHOTO
AL TIELEMANS